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Sustainable

I won’t shop, cook or cut meat quite the same from now on. I had the pleasure of attending a Butcher Class at Urban Farmer recently. They went above and beyond to teach, answer questions and arm attendees with the information and know-how they’d need to select the best cuts of meat, and best utilize less popular, yet more economical cuts.

Head Butcher and Urban Farmer Sous Chef, Vincent Delagrange, lead the class. He’s been professionally cutting meat since 2011. He knows his stuff. He whizzed through the prepared Beef 101 slides, covering the basics, like “What is a steak?” (2″ thick or under with a quick cooking method) and “what makes it tender?” (It’s inversely related to the amount of work a muscle has to during the life of the animal). Fat is flavor, and the fattier the beef, the beefier the flavor. This is an equation I can study.

Here’s what I learned:

Delagrange also touched on U.S.D.A. grading, explaining that most meat we see in a butcher shop of the meat counter is Prime (highest designation, less than 2% of cattle) or Choice (less marbling, but widely available), occasionally Select (lean and less available, potentially tough).

And then there’s is Wagyu. It’s the Cadillac of cows, people. It has a high percentage of marbling which far exceeds that of USDA Prime. Yes, please. And get this: “Kobe” beef isn’t really Kobe beef unless it is from Tajima breed cows raised in the Hyogo prefecture of Japan, and you’re eating it in Japan. They don’t export it. So all those times you THINK you’ve purchased or been served Kobe beef…you were duped. How about that?!

We did a blind taste teste comparing the Prime cuts they source at the restaurant, versus a Choice cut offered at a large (unnamed) grocery chain. Not a tough call.

Delegrange was happy to answer all kinds of questions the group had about shopping for beef too. Like “What day is best to shop for meat?” Answer: find out which day of the week your local butcher or grocer gets their shipments. And that’s the day! Likely Friday morning is good. For large chains, Delegrange suggests checking their ads. The first day sales take effect you’re sure to find the freshest product. And for markdowns…try Sunday evening, or Monday. What I was surprised to hear was those markdowns haven’t been sitting there for days…only a couple of hours. So scoop them up, check the freshness or sell-by date and save!

I learned that you can identify high quality meat by look and touch. There should be exterior fat (remember, fat=flavor!). Press on the side of that fat. You’ll want it spongey, or to bounce back, not firm. And you’re looking for a good balance or ratio of interior or marbelized fat to exterior fat.

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Delegrange also suggests secondary cuts to satisfy your beef craving and your budget. Swap Ribeye for Chuckeye, Tenderloin for Sirloin and Strip Steak for Coulotte. The idea is to buy a piece of meat that can be grilled and sliced to serve a larger number of people. The guy has four kids at home. I trust his advice! He also favors the flat iron, tri tip, Babette and ribeye cap.

The group also got a first hand look at how dry aging is achieved and how animals are broken down at Urban Farmer’s in house butcher shop. And get a lot of their charcuterie program! Meat me, please!

We were given a handful of great recipes from Delegrange, plus some helpful handouts to help decider between corn-fed, grass-fed and dry-aged beef for the purposes of shopping and ordering at our favorite restaurants. And BONUS: there were swag bags with “Beefy” t shirts (which I admittedly had my eye on at the hostess stand) plus some seeds to start our garden this season.

If you’d like to sign up for one of these comprehensive classes, their next butcher class is Saturday, June 17th from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. This one is a showdown between the Carolina’s versus Texas BBQ. Event details here:

Time to dig in to the spring and summer calendar and plant some ideas in your head about some great upcoming events at Spice Acres.

The innovative and creative culinary minds behind Spice Kitchen and Bar, and Spice Acres have announced the dates and locations for their Plated Landscape Dinner Series.

Plated Landscapes are held at the farm occupied by the Bebenroth Family, Spice Acres, in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and at select family farms that supply their kitchen with local sustainable foods.

These communal dining experiences are the brain child of Chef/Founder/Farmer, Ben Bebenroth and started in 2006.

For the $150 ticket guests receive a welcoming cocktail and passed hor d’oeuvres, followed by a guided farm tour, and a five-course meal with expertly paired wines. And the setting can’t be beat.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Nisly Photography

The 10 night series starts in late June and goes through October, although you don’t have to commit to the entire series, of course! Go to one, or one each season! Advance purchase required via Spice’s Eventbrite page.